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My will to spend time in the kitchen preparing succulent dinners fades away in the summer. Don’t you feel the same? If you live in a place whose fire alarm is activated as soon as the pan hits the hot stove, making hot food becomes a challenge. That’s how it goes in my place in London.

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Salads would be great option and a raw vegetarian diet would spare me the sauna in the kitchen. First I would need to change my mindset towards raw foods and enlarge my culinary boundaries (limits?) within which uncooked food cannot replace a proper hot meal.

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Meantime I get ready for the big change that goes under the name “salads for lunch” I prepare these terrific patties containing one of my favorite ingredients: the mighty Quinoa! I need the tremendous stove to cook Quinoa but I can enjoy these patties cold, sandwiched in a granary soft bun or simply accompanied with fresh tomatoes and olives.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy Quinoa?

Zucchini Quinoa Patties

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Quinoa
  • 2 small courgettes
  • 15 gr fresh coriander finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Tsp turmeric
  • 2 Tbsp parmesan grated
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
  • 3 Tbsps plain flour

Instructions

  • Boil 1 cup of water with 1 tsp of salt (for quinoa). Shred one courgette on the large-holed side of a grater. Drain out all the water. Chop the other courgette, the coriander and the mint leaves. Finely slice a clove of garlic.
  • Boil quinoa in the water for around 15 mins. Drain the quinoa thoroughly in a sieve and put it back in the pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt. Cook stirring continuously for 2-3 mins until the mixture will have dried out completely, then remove from the heat and set aside.
  • In another pan with a little oil saute the garlic for about 1 minute then add the courgettes and stir fry for 3-4 mins. Mix in the quinoa, then add turmeric and stir well. Remove from the heat.
  • Mix in the flour, the fresh coriander, Parmesan and 3/4 of your yogurt. If needed, add more flour to get a firm consistency. Let the mixture cool down for about ten minutes.
  • Form the mixture into 4 equally sized patties. Make sure they are compact so they don't fall apart later.
  • Heat a frying pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot add 2 tbsps of olive oil. Very gently place the patties in the oil and cook for 3-4 mins on each side until golden.
  • Whisk the remaining yogurt with the finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Serve the patties with minted yogurt sauce on top.

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24 Comments

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  1. These look delicious but I am confused about the cooking instructions. Are you suppose to boil the shredded zucchini in with the Quinoa? Why do you shred one zucchini and chop the other? Is there a reason? Also for the coriander, what does 15 gr mean? 15 grams?

  2. I tried it and it was really delicious! I just didn’t have courgettes so I put cherry and dry tomatoes instead 🙂 Thank you for great recipe! 🙂

  3. This didn’t work out for me. How is my quinoa supposed to be dry after adding 2 tbsp of oil to it? I admit I added more oil to the zucchini to prevent it from burning to the pan. I ended up adding 6 tbsp flour (double what was called for) at the end and still didn’t have something solid enough to shape into a patty.

    1. Hi Kay, I’m not sure why it did not work out for you. Once I cook quinoa, I let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Next time try add 1 cup of ground flaxseed or 1 egg. This will help stick the ingredients together!

  4. Your list of ingredients calls for ‘3 Tbsp Cup plain flour’
    Is it 3 Tbsp flour ? Why is cup there? Im confused…also what is
    A courgette?

  5. I actually cooked with a zucchini last week for the first time, homemade veggie soup. Since June I’ve had to go gluten free, and quinoa has become a favorite side dish. I am bravely branching out here, going to combine the two together! TFS!

  6. I was so excited about making this recipe tonight, but after reading it over before cooking I became confused when it came to the yogurt. Is it supposed to be divided? Because the last instruction says to “Whisk the remaining yogurt with the finely chopped fresh mint leaves.” I’ll put it off for now, but I’d still love to make these if you could help me out.

  7. I’ve been looking for a new zucchini recipe! I’m worried my children might stage a coup if I serve sautéed zucchini at dinner one more time. Have you tried this with quinoa flour?

  8. Approximately how many patties does this recipe make?
    I guess I can just make them and find out 🙂 Can’t wait to try them!
    Thanks!